


On the Chopping Block

by BWolf_20



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: "Silence the Whisperers" alternate scene, Gen, Murder, Negan didn't escape in episode 4, Negan faces the Council, Season 10 episode 4 spoilers, Votes, What-If, trial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 05:09:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BWolf_20/pseuds/BWolf_20
Summary: What if Negan hadn’t gotten away when the council was deciding his fate after he killed Margo? A mini trial is brought to order with Negan being brought in to state his side of the story. Afterwards, Gabriel places the deciding vote.





	On the Chopping Block

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers if you haven't seen episode four of season ten**
> 
> After the "Silence the Whispers" episode, I felt intrigued to write how I think it would've gone at the council meeting if Negan hadn't gotten away. If he had stuck around to actually give his side of the story. I've always wanted to see a trial scenario for Negan back when Rick was still arguing to keep him alive, but no one wrote one. So, now I've found a way to work it in with the latest episode.

Gabriel walked quietly with his head bowed as he pondered the meeting that had just taken place. It almost seemed like a long time since the question of whether or not Negan should be executed was brought up. Such a thing had fallen quiet after Rick’s death, but then it picked back up again after an appropriate amount of time had passed. Since Rick wasn’t there, there had been the sense that what the man had tried to build didn’t fully work, therefore there was no reason not to kill Negan. 

Rick’s dream had been under threat and almost died, but they had pushed through. Michonne had been a great force in powering through the tragedy to make sure they didn’t fall backwards; that included making sure Negan was still kept alive. Gabriel had heard Rick’s reasoning for keeping the man alive, and at the time, he’d felt conflicted about it. The asshole had almost shot him dead the day the war ended. The idea was hard to accept, so he turned to God for answers and a semblance of peace. Had Rick made the right decision? 

It hadn’t taken long for him to choose to help their prisoner over ignoring him. Despite the way the world was, he wanted to believe that there was still enough good left in people; that there was a way to help bring it out of those deemed lost and far too wicked to deserve life.

He raised his head as he came across the door to the cell. He liked to think that he had been able to help Negan to some degree. From his visits, along with years of being stuck behind bars, Gabe believed a change was inevitable. It seemed proven the time he’d saved Judith. It was a clear sign that Negan wasn’t just out for himself. Then again, Judith was just a child. But recently he had saved Aaron, a full grown man. Negan could’ve easily resorted to his old ways of bashing in his foes’ skulls, but he hadn’t. He chose to help and return. The only factor playing a part in his change up until that point, was putting him to work. After Judith’s rescue, Michonne had proposed that Negan be rewarded, to a degree, by being allowed out of the cell to do work. It gave him fresh air, and it also helped him contribute to the community. Rick had wanted Negan alive for the sake of instilling a civilized society, so the idea had its merits. He had voted “yes” to the idea, believing it would do more for Negan than their private sessions could. 

But tonight, Aaron had expressed doubts about Negan being rehabilitated. It was the one thing preventing Gabriel from giving a vote. He liked to think Negan had changed, but the problem was he wasn’t present during the attack on Lydia. Maybe it had been easy for Negan to throw Margo against a wall. Maybe he felt no shame for it. Maybe it was a sign that Rick’s idea for him wouldn’t work afterall. 

He wanted to be sure, and he needed to take in the argument on both sides.

Slowly he pushed open the door and made his way down in the semi darkness of the cell below. Negan was lying on his back on the cot with his hand covering his face. He didn’t look particularly pleased with what he had done.

“You’re causing quite a stir out there,” Gabriel started.

Negan sighed but didn’t bother to lower his arm.

“That couldn’t be more obvious,” he grumbled. He dropped his arm and looked at him. “Here to get another confession out of me? The one about my failure as a husband wasn’t enough?”

Gabriel momentarily thought back to their time of being stuck in the trailer after Rick unleased a walker herd on the Sanctuary. 

“You’ll be confessing at tomorrow’s council.”

“Is that a fact,” he answered with a clear air of sarcasm. “Well, I hate to burst your damn bubble but Daryl already told me that wonderful news. Sorry you wasted a trip.” 

“I didn’t just come down for that. I came because…” He dropped his head and sighed.

“Because what?” When Gabriel didn’t respond right away, Negan sat up and peered at him hard. “You think I did it on purpose, don’t you?”

Gabriel saw the flash of anger in his eyes as well as a small sense of hurt. 

“It’s not that. I’m the swing vote that’s going to decide your fate, and I want to make sure I’m making the right one.”

He noticed the small contortions Negan’s face was making, and there seemed to be more hurt flashing in his eyes than anger for a second. But then the stern expression fell into a grin and he shook his head.

“You know Gabe, you really had me fooled.”

“What do you mean?”

“Out of all the people here, I would’ve thought you wouldn’t fall in line with the rest of them.” Gabriel frowned, not following. Negan gave a soft chuckle and leaned back against the wall. There seemed to be a little bit of pain in his expression now. “No matter what I do for you people, I’ll always be number one on your kill list. You and I worked together before I got a snippet of freedom. You made it clear you were trying to help me be a better person. I like to think that I am, because of Rick, and because of you. The way we got along, I came to think we’d become something like friends. I know I might still piss you off sometimes, but I thought you’d gotten over me nearly blowing your goddamn head off, at least enough for you to vouch for me. Clearly I was a damn fool to believe that.”

Gabriel swallowed hard, not liking where Negan’s line of thought was going. 

“You weren’t,” he started slowly. “I came to see if you were a changed man. After that, I’ll know whether or not to vouch for you.”

“So I was supposed to just let Lydia get the shit beat out of her?” His tone was strongly defensive yet calm.

“No. You were right in protecting her. My question is, has what happened triggered that asshole from the past to return?”

“What do you think?” came the low growl.

Gabriel observed the angered man closely. He saw no sign of regret, which made him believe it might have been a bad idea to come down right now. He figured in the moment he would see a side of Negan that was reeling from his actions. If not that, then a clear obvious sign that the old Negan hadn’t been simmering under the surface the whole time. Deep down he felt the answer should be obvious, but he was slowly starting to understand why he was hesitating on the vote. His murder of Margo had resurfaced the tragedies of the past. He was reminded of the deaths he’d witnessed, and the fear and forced acceptance of nearly meeting his end when Negan placed the gun on the back of his head. All those memories were clogging up his ability to see what was now.

“I think I need to take another walk and clear my head,” Gabriel stated at last before turning and leaving Negan alone in the darkness.

Gabriel made sure not to let his decision show upon his face as he sat in the center of the council table. He glanced to his right, taking in the stoic faces of the members, specifically Aaron. His head was partially bowed and he appeared to be thinking hard on something. Gabriel assumed he was rethinking the vote he’d previously given, but he didn’t believe he would change his mind. Over to his left, Daryl was leaning against a post with his head bowed. He imagined the man might be wishing Michonne was here so he didn’t have to be a proxy for this part. Right beside him, Laura shifted enough to bump into him. When he looked at her, she appeared unsettled.

“You alright?” Gabe asked.

“Yeah.” She didn’t sound alright, and he wasn’t willing to push it. 

She’d been one of Negan’s best soldiers, and it was rare that she had to face him. After so many years she had washed her hands of the man upon receiving a decent, non-violent life in Alexandria, and that created the impression that he was nothing to her anymore. Gabe saw that easily enough, but he supposed the situation of a possible execution of her former leader made the whole thing uncomfortable to her.

“Gabriel,” Aaron suddenly said without looking at him. He still sounded just as angry as he had last night, but his tone suggested forced calm. “Were you able to clear your head enough to think this over?”

“I was, and I’m ready to proceed,” he said simply. He turned to Daryl with a nod. “Bring him in.”

Gabriel watched him pad across the room and slip past the entrance to where Negan and his guards had been waiting. He briefly shifted his gaze to the covered windows. Just on the other side, a mob had slowly begun to form. He could faintly hear their cries and demands for blood.

The sound of shuffling feet drew him back to the doorway. Negan, now cuffed, was being escorted forward by two guards who held an arm on either side of him as they led him down the aisle. He didn’t give the usual shit-eating grin, nor did he appear particularly remorseful. He just looked resigned, as if his sentence had already been passed. He wasn’t looking at any of them as he kept his eyes straight an unseeing. At first Gabriel mistook it for a look of anger directed at him. He could see Negan was more than likely directing the anger at himself. He’d caught wind of what he’d said to Daryl about being a sucker for falling into their ways of life. Gabriel imagined he was angry with himself for giving Alexandria a chance to change him when it seemed to only put him on the chopping block in the end.

The guards roughly pushed him down into the chair facing the council. They stepped behind him afterwards, ready to take action should their prisoner try anything. Once Daryl took his place by the post again to watch, Gabriel straightened in his chair to address the man. 

“I think we can get right down to business,” he started as he leaned forward on the table with his hands clasped. “A member of our community was killed. There was no one present to witness what happened besides Gage, Alfred, and Lydia. Gage and Alfred insists they were attacked and that you murdered Margo without hesitation. Lydia insists you saved her. We want to hear all sides of the story. What happened last night?”

Negan didn’t speak right away. His eyes drifted away from him as he turned his head and exhaled as if annoyed. It gave him the impression that Negan had barely acknowledged what he’d just said. 

“I think what happened is a clear sign that you pricks need cameras installed around the perimeter. Save yourselves a lot of trouble.”

Gabriel could feel a bit of tension building from the people next to him.

“Answer the question,” Aaron ordered. He didn’t bother hiding the glare.

Negan just smiled as he met the man’s eyes.

“Let me guess, you were the first to say I should hang. Probably gave those people out there the rope you wanted me to tie myself up with. And here I almost thought saving you that night made a difference.”

“You think one little ‘show’ of kindness changes you?” Aaron spat back. “You wouldn’t have risked hurting me, because you knew it would put you in the exact position you’re in now.”

“So you think I’d wait until now, when I’m in Alexandria, surrounded by people who can easily kill me, to show my true colors just so I can walk on death row?” Negan shook his head in disbelief, still smiling. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have bothered to save you. I would’ve ran to avoid this shit.”

“This conversation is not part of the discussion,” Gabriel cut in when Aaron showed signs of wanting to argue his point on the matter.

“I think it could be considered,” said Siddiq. “It proves that Negan was willing to help someone.”

“We should take into account Negan’s friendship with Lydia,” Laura started as she glanced around at the members. “It makes sense that he would do something to protect her.”

Negan zeroed in on his ex-soldier and looked ready to say something to her, but held his tongue and dropped his eyes to his cuffs.

“It will all be taken into account once we hear Negan’s side of things,” Gabriel informed them, wanting to get back on track. “Tell us what happened.”

Said man stretched back in his chair and gave a long sigh as if he was already worn out. His eyes were on this ceiling, and Gabe couldn’t help imagining the man calling to the lord for assistance.

“What the hell difference does it make, what I say? You people have already made up your minds.”

“Nothing is set in stone until we hear the truth.”

The ex-Savior met his gaze then, searching his good eye as he tried to determine whether or not he could be trusted. It seemed odd that Negan would have to look for trust in his old enemies when they were looking for trust in him.

His eyes softened, and he leaned forward in his chair with his head partially dropped.

“I heard her. Just before I was being put in my cell, I heard a scream. It was faint, but it was enough for me to get my ass in gear. I didn’t know what kind of shit to expect. I sure as shit didn’t figure those punks would lay into her the way they did, and with a grown-ass woman taking pleasure in it. I stopped the beat-down by throwing her aside. Had I known there was a wall behind her, maybe I would’ve thought twice about that approach. Then again, those fucks riled me up to the point where I didn’t even know my own strength. Beating up on a girl should get anyone’s blood pumping.” Negan fell back into an expression of having resigned to a fate that hadn’t yet been said aloud before he finished off. “That’s what happened. I did it…for her.”

Gabriel sat back after absorbing the man’s honesty. The story lined up with Lydia’s words, and in his opinion, Negan’s actions lined up with the man he had been slowly becoming over the years. First it was Judith who had been saved by him. Clearly he cared about the kids. That couldn’t be denied.

“Was it that, or was your blood pumping because you wanted to kill,” Aaron accused harshly.

“What the hell?” Siddiq snapped. “Negan chose to act, to save Lydia! She confirmed it.”

“And I believe that. What has me concerned is…” Aaron leaned back as he worked to orchestrate his feelings on the matter. All eyes turned on him. “If something big goes down when he’s around, will his blood pump hard enough for him to murder again? Will he think before he acts?” He looked away from the council and looked at Negan before continuing. “What Margo and those boys did was wrong, and they all deserved to be punished for it. But, Margo didn’t deserve to die. We don’t do that anymore. Not since Rick decided we should keep you alive.”

“If you don’t do that anymore then why the fuck am I here? It was an accident, or weren’t you listening to me?” Negan challenged icily. He leaned forward in his seat in a rather threatening manner but the guards pulled him back against his chair quickly. 

“Oh I was listening. And when the subject of you and murder comes up together, I find myself back in that clearing, watching as you murdered Glenn and Abraham.”

The defensive look that Negan had held, softened. He searched Aaron’s eyes for a moment, then drop them to his lap, appearing to be at a loss for words. There was nothing he could say or do for someone who was still deeply affected by the past.

“Aaron,” Daryl said started slowly, but he stopped there. He wasn’t sure what to say either, and Gabriel could see his thoughts were shifting back there as well.

“You think, I took a moment to resort to my old self?” Negan accused with his head still bowed. “Or is it, you think I’m so fucked up that I won’t be able to control myself next time?” He sucked in a deep breath of air before raising his head to look at Aaron again. “Hey, I see someone steal a lollipop from a damn baby, I guess I won’t be able to stop myself from breaking the thief’s neck. Is that really what you think of me after all these years? Six goddamn years in a cell isn’t enough to affect me?!” 

“Six years would be enough to make anyone snap,” Daryl suddenly cut in. His expression didn’t show him to be on either Aaron’s or Negan’s side. “I wasn’t in your cell for that long at the Sanctuary, but I almost lost my damn mind.”

“Negan hasn’t shown a sign of having lost it,” Laura argued. “He’s kept it together.”

“But he’s broken,” Aaron insisted. 

The room fell quiet afterwards, and it was only broken by a faint chuckle from Negan himself.

“Aren’t we all?” 

The way he’d said it made Gabriel believe that Negan did agree he was a little broken.

“We aren’t judging on how we believe he’ll behave should something serious occur in his presence in the future. We’re here to judge his current actions.” He glanced around at his fellow crew, gauging whether anyone had an argument to this. When no one said anything, he continued. “I think there’s one thing left that needs answering before I cast my vote. Negan, do you regret what you did?”

The man eyed him seriously and straightened up in a way that suggested anything but regret.

“I regret it came down to bloodshed, especially when I’ve been trying so damn hard to keep my head down. But if you’re asking if I’m sorry she’s gone, then no. Like I told good old Daryl over there, the world’s better off.”

“So you feel no remorse for a death you caused,” Gabriel confirmed.

“Do you?” The question caught Gabriel off guard. Before he could question it, Aaron cut in.

“What are you trying to pull?”

“I think the same can go for any of you,” Negan continued, while ignoring the new question. “You’ve all gotten your hands bloody at some point. Do you regret the things you people did in the past? Do you feel some damn remorse for ending the life of some asshole? I bet you don’t, so how the hell can you expect me to feel remorse.” He dropped his head again, and this time when he continued, he sounded tired. But there was something else in his tone. Something that brought Gabriel back to that moment when Negan had made something of a painful confession about how he’d hurt his wife through an affair. “I look back on the things I did sometimes, and I can’t always believe I’d done those things. This world fucked me up, I know. And I’m not gonna pretend that I still don’t find an inkling of interest in screwed up shit. The kind you’d gag and turn your noses at. When I saw what I did to that Margo chick, I was scared. I was scared of what it would mean for me. I was scared it meant I couldn’t become a changed man afterall. I wasn’t thinking about her, or what you people lost. That shit with Lydia’s so fresh I can’t feel remorse. Give or take a few more years, maybe I’ll be good enough to feel something decent. That is, if you even let me live that long.”

The silence that fell after his confession was the loudest it had been so far. Gabriel took in the man before him as he was hit with Negan’s rawness. So often he would pepper responses with disgusting jokes or accusations, but when more of the layers were peeled back, the realness of his emotions shined and reminded him that he was still human and not some monster from the depths of hell. The world had clearly broken Negan enough to transform him into a terror in the past, but there was still a part of him that was intact enough to feel something real.

He glanced around at Aaron. The lines of anger had softened greatly, leaving him to appear thoughtful about what he had just heard. 

Gabriel leaned back in his seat and faced Negan full on. His mind was made up, more so now. 

“As of yesterday the votes were tied. Yes for execution, and no for sparing you. After hearing your side and taking everything into account, I have made a decision.” 

He felt a rise of tension from everyone. Negan shifted uncomfortably in his chair and licked his lips. He seemed to be doing his best to maintain eye contact with the one person who would decide his fate.  
“My vote is no.” He couldn’t help the slight form of a smile as Negan expressed a sense of relief as well as disbelief. 

None of his members argued his vote. Aaron seemed conflicted, but didn’t appear overly happy with the turnout. 

“Majority rules,” said Laura. “Negan, you won’t be facing execution today.”

“Well isn’t that a fucking relief,” came the sarcastic reply. “Guess next time a little girl gets beat up, I’ll keep my head down and call fucking 911.”

“You were right to protect her Negan,” Gabriel urged. “This wasn’t a question about whether or not you should be executed for trying to help someone. You made a mistake. Margo’s death can officially be ruled as an accident. But should a difficult situation rise again, I would prefer you alert someone, and watch your strength should you have no choice but to fight. Our goal is to avoid killing those who do wrong.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Negan said, not sounding the least bit serious. 

But Gabriel knew this whole fiasco would not be forgotten. Negan would remember that he’d barely escaped death because of his actions. He could see the man becoming more careful, but he did also worry that all the attention would cause the man to shrink into himself, which Gabriel didn’t want for him. 

“Alright. That concludes this meeting.”

The guards stepped forward and encouraged Negan to his feet. With his head bowed, Negan shuffled back down the aisle, ready to return to the safety of his cell. 

Later that evening, Gabriel sought interest in meeting with Negan one on one now that the debate was over, or rather kind of over. Once the public heard the decision, a good number of them were still on the side of wanting his blood spilled. For that reason, the guards stayed stationed around the jailhouse.

When Gabriel made it down, he found Negan crouched on his cot with his head in his hands. One would think the vote had been for execution considering his behavior.

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating?” Gabriel questioned.

Negan raised his head and brought forth his infamous shit-eating grin.

“Don’t worry, I did a victory dance before you showed up.”

“I find that hard to believe,” he said as he neared the bars. As he kept his eyes on the man, the grin began to drop until it was completely gone. “From your reaction earlier, I’m assuming you were surprised by the vote.”

“Maybe just a little,” he grumbled. He leaned back against the wall, then after a beat, he continued. “Maybe it would’ve been easier for you to vote yes.”

“Why?” Gabe didn’t expect him to say such a thing.

“This barely changed a damn thing. No matter how many times I break my back for you people. No matter how many lives I save, the people out there will always want me dead. Next time, they won’t wait for a vote.”

Gabriel sighed and dropped his head. There was no use sugar coating the argument.

“Maybe not. Maybe after enough time, they will change toward you,” he said, choosing to start with a more positive side to things. “Others will never forgive you for what you did in the past. But, that doesn’t mean I should’ve said yes to an execution.”

“Others like Aaron,” Negan said bitterly.

“Yes, and, I would say Daryl,” Gabriel added. “But despite his feelings toward you, he voted no.”

Negan raised a brow in surprise. 

“Well holy shit,” he said softly. “Maybe deep down he’s developed a soft spot for me.”

“Possibly. Or, he’s come to know what’s important when it comes to keeping things right for everyone.” 

“I think good ol’ Rick would’ve been proud of him,” Negan mused.

“Yeah,” Gabriel agreed quietly. “Well, rest up. It’s back to work tomorrow.”

At the mention of being back out in public, Negan visibly tensed up.

“The hell? You expect me to go back out there just like that?”

“You can hide away in here Negan, but I think it does you some good to be out helping our community. The people need to keep seeing that. Aside from that, there’s no reason to feel shame for being allowed to live. If they have a problem with it, that’s on them. I’ll make sure you’re kept safe.”

He padded the bars and offered a smile before turning away.

“Gabriel, about the vote,” Negan started slowly. Gabriel turned around and met his eyes which were shining with gratitude. “Thanks.”

Gabriel nodded, then made his way out of the cell, satisfied with his ultimate decision to spare Negan’s life.

**Author's Note:**

> The toughest part was having a reason of why Gabriel would need to delay his vote. I was a bit surprised when he said he needed to think it over in the episode. Of course he would say no to the execution, but after all the times of working with Negan I figured he'd lean quickly on the side that he'd changed, or that there still had to be a chance for him, and that Negan's actions couldn't count as cold blooded murder. Same with Aaron. It was a little tough to figure out how to explain why he felt the way he felt after Negan saved him, but for all, I would say much of it is rooted from the horrible deaths caused by Negan back in the day. I'm assuming the lean toward yes and the hesitation was due to fear of the old Negan sprouting back up.  
I enjoy fics that are tied in with the show. Sadly I really don't see any that are canon and Gen. Hope that changes.  
Hope you enjoyed


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